News has circulated that troubled NFL cornerback Adam "Pac Man" Jones is close to signing with the Detroit Lions, thus reuniting him with Jim Schwartz and giving him another chance to salvage his football career.

I, for one, am happy for Jones. I do believe he is a talented player, especially as a return man. He is so gifted athletically that with the right coaching, I think he could become an elite cover corner in the NFL. Of course, this is not going to happen overnight.

Jones has been away from the game for a year, and wasn't great when he was with the Cowboys. His stint as a Cowboy was brief and best known for the fight he got into with the body guard that Jerry Jones had hired to keep him out of trouble.

For some reason, I am always championing the troubled, gangsta athlete from the hood. I took Michael Vick's side when he was facing dog-fighting charges. I list Allen Iverson as my favorite all-time athlete, and I actually own a Pac Man Jones Tennessee Titans jersey.

Maybe this stems from all of the gangsta rap I listened to during my formative years. I do know that I could care less about what an athlete does off the field. All I care about is what he does between the white lines of the playing field, even if the white sideline chalk is going up his nose. I hate to get all Charles Barkley on all of you, but athletes are not role models and I believe they owe absolutely nothing to their fans.

I am not a Lions fan, but if Pac Man can help the Lions win more than two games next season, then they should sign him. The career span of an NFL coach is very short and if the Lions suffer another 2-14 season, then Jim Schwartz is probably going to get canned, as is Lions GM Martin Mayhew.

I like what the Lions have done in terms of upgrading the talent on their roster. Matthew Stafford looks like he is going to be a solid pro and the signing of Kyle Vanden Bosch was strong. They already have Calvin Johnson and they are probably going to end up taking Ndamakong Suh in next month's draft.

Things are looking up in the Motor City, well, in terms of their football team that is. Their economy is shot and the only thing productive to come out of Detroit recently is Eminem. And his last album was average.

The signing of Pac Man is a risky one. He could seriously effect team chemistry on a young club. But the Lions have won two games in two years. What do they have to lose?

And if the Lions do not sign Jones, what is he going to do? It has been said that he did well in his course work at West Virginia. But we have all heard him speak, quotes like, "I was being rebellion," is among the dumbest phrases ever uddered towards the media. I have to believe my 10-year-old niece could graduate from WVU right now. Chris Henry R.I.P., and Noel Devine were/are just a couple of the scholars to start their academic careers in Morgantown.

"I likea da scrip clubs."

I like the strip clubs too, Pac Man. But if my name was Adam Jones, and if I stayed out of the strip clubs, I knew someone was going to give me a million dollars. Basically, I would stay home and pay $12.99 for 'Boobaholics Annonymous' On Demand.

The career of an NFL'er is short. They have a short period of time to make money that could possibly take care of their family for the rest of their lives. They have plenty of time after their careers are finished to be knuckleheads.

If Pac Man is granted another chance at NFL glory and screws it up again, then I am going to request Pac Man to officially change his name to Dumb Ass Jones.